Long-Term Effects of My Dog Eating Grapes

A dog may eat grapes with no ill effects on one occasion but suffer life-threatening symptoms the next.

Chris Amaral/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Some of the everyday foods you eat with no issues are toxic to your dog. Grapes and raisins, reports the ASPCA, are among them. Eating grapes or raisins, even in small amounts, can cause kidney failure in dogs. Death can result in as few as three to four days; dogs who survive may suffer from long-term kidney disease.

Symptoms and Prognosis

Because no definitive quantity of grapes or raisins is known to make a dog sick, any case of ingestion should be considered potentially dangerous. The initial signs of toxicity, the ASPCA reports, include vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy; report them immediately to your veterinarian. Early medical intervention provides the best chance for avoiding or surviving acute renal failure, which can occur in dogs within 24 hours or a few days after eating grapes or raisins. The prognosis for a dog who survives can include long-term renal failure or kidney disease, which may require ongoing treatments, careful monitoring of hydration and diet, and frequent veterinary checkups.

Photo Credits

Chris Amaral/Digital Vision/Getty Images

About the Author

Christy Ayala writes about recreation, sports, aquatics, healthy living, family and parenting, language development, organizational change, pets and animals. Ayala holds a master's degree in recreation administration from Aurora University’s George Williams College, a graduate certificate in organizational change from Hawaii Pacific University and a bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of Missouri, St. Louis.